Imaginary Friend
by alightintheshadows
Summary: Roy and Riza's daughter has a new imaginary friend, and Roy can't help but feel like he's met this one before.


**Hello, everyone! I have returned! I know it's only been about a month, but I feel like I've been gone forever. Here's a little oneshot idea I had and decided to write as my roughest finals are over! This little fic is AU in the fact that Roy and Riza are married and have a kid, but there is next to no romance at all. Just platonic and familial feels!**

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

Roy tip-toed out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him. It wasn't often that Riza got the opportunity to sleep in on the weekend. Seeing it fit to make breakfast for his hard-working wife and their beautiful daughter, he quietly crept down the hall as not to disturb either of them.

He nearly jumped when he heard a giggle.

He stopped in front of her bedroom door, staring at the sign hanging on it. It was made out of wood and painted in several beautiful shades of red, her favorite color. He grinned as he remembered Gracia giving it to her and helping put it up.

 _Trisha_

He and Riza couldn't have picked a more perfect name for their daughter. What better person to name her after than an incredible woman who raised two of the bravest young men they ever had the honor of knowing?

"Do you want one lump of sugar or two?"

Roy grinned even wider. He should have known his little girl would already be up and having a tea party with her stuffed animals as she usually did these days.

"Two, please!"

Roy's blood froze in his veins. Stuffed animals didn't talk back.

Someone was in his daughter's room.

He barged in instantly. He quickly looked around before turning his gaze to the little table in front of him.

The same two teddy bears occupied the seats as they had the previous day. Trisha was sitting with her back to Roy, her long black hair cascading beautifully down her back despite her mother not brushing it yet and a silver tiara was sitting on top of her head.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary except for one thing: the remaining chair at the table was empty.

Trisha looked back to her father.

"Good morning, daddy!"

She "poured tea" into the cup in front of the empty chair. Roy glanced around again.

She was alone.

Just to be safe, he went over to her closet and opened it. No one was there.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

It took him a moment to realize he hadn't even talked to her. He shook his head.

He had to be imagining things.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Just my new friend!" she said, pointing to the chair next to her.

He relaxed a little, remembering it was common for kids her age to have imaginary friends, especially his little girl.

"I see."

He had to have imagined it. With Fuhrer Grumman on the verge of retiring and appointing a new Fuhrer, he and Riza had been working themselves ragged. The stress of work must have been getting to him.

"What was that?" she asked, leaning closer to the empty seat and cupping her hand behind her ear. She giggled.

Roy let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He approached the table and was about to sit in the empty chair to join his daughter. Trisha frantically shook her head and waved her hands.

"You can't sit there! You'll sit on my friend!"

He grinned and got down on his knees next to his little girl.

"That's right, I forgot you had a new friend!" He turned to the empty chair. "I'm sorry I almost sat on you. It won't happen again."

Trisha leaned toward the empty chair and giggled again.

"I know, daddy can be really silly! Do you want some more tea?" She got more tea for her little friend, her gaze shifting back and forth between her dad and the empty chair. "You have black hair just like daddy!"

Roy blinked in confusion. His daughter had a rather wild imagination when it came to her imaginary friends. He would never forget meeting Ellen, the dancing purple unicorn. He recalled her having a fire-breathing dragon as a friend at one point with a name he couldn't remember.

He should probably be a bit more careful of what stories he let Ed and Al read to her when they came to visit.

Very few of her imaginary friends were, well, people.

"So who's your new friend?"

"Can you stand up?" she asked, completely ignoring his question.

His brow furrowing, he did so. Her eyes widened.

"Wow! You're as tall as my daddy!" she giggled. "Your glasses are falling down again!"

Roy's blood ran cold again. Black hair…glasses….

"Trisha, what's your friend's name?"

She smiled.

"Maes."

Roy's heart stopped.

How…she didn't know about Maes. She was only five years old. She couldn't understand who that man was to her dad.

She couldn't understand how much that man would love her if he were still here.

Just the thought of him being here…the thought of Maes meeting his own daughter….

"Daddy, you look so happy!" she looked back to the empty chair. "You were right! Daddy is happy to meet you!"

A smile must have already spread across his face. It only grew with every passing second.

He bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Well, you and Maes can finish your tea party. I'm going to make some breakfast for you and your mom."

With that, he left Trisha alone and made his way to the kitchen. The smile stayed plastered on his face.

More often than not, she would forget her imaginary friends after a week and never speak of them again, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this one would somehow become her best friend.

 ***break***

"I think my daddy really likes you!" Trisha said as she stirred the plastic spoon around in the cup.

A chuckle resounded throughout the room.

"I think so, too. Maybe he could join us for our next tea party!"

Trisha giggled.

"Do you think he'll wear a princess crown like you?"

"Somehow, I think he will," he said as he pushed his glasses up and adjusted the tiara on his head. A small grin formed on his face. "If he's anything like me, he'll do anything to make his daughter smile."

 **Well, there it is! I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!**

 **Just letting you all know that I have a new multi-chapter fic on the way! I've already started on the first chapter, so that should hopefully be up this weekend!**

 **Until then,**

 **alightintheshadows**


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